IT’S good news that the Australian Catholic Church is represented in Bali at the United Nations conference on climate change.
Some will be critical of such moves, especially members of the Church who are climate change sceptics. But such criticism is out of line with what the Church is advocating.
Pope Benedict XVI is speaking more and more about the need for respect for creation while “focusing on the needs of sustainable development”. Australia’s Catholic bishops have echoed this call in their own statements.
The Church can play a valuable role at meetings like the one happening in Bali, especially in advocating for the poor, the ones most affected by the impact of climate change.